On 13-14 February 2016, Refugee Rights Turkey held a legal counselling visit to the city of Bursa in Northwestern Turkey. Bursa currently hosts a significant population of Syrian asylum seekers. The visit to Bursa was undertaken in coordination with the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management and several local NGOs that provide aid and assistance to Syrian refugees in the city.

Over the past two years, Bursa has become one of the urban centers in Turkey hosting significant numbers of Syrian refugees. Syrian refugees in Turkey benefit from the Government of Turkey’s “temporary protection” policy on the basis of the Temporary Protection Regulation of 22 October 2014. The group counselling sessions were attended by representatives of the Syrian refugee communities in Bursa and focused on rights and obligations of temporary protection beneficiaries.

Refugee Rights Turkey will continue delivering similar legal counselling missions to Bursa and other locations around Turkey that host significant communities of Syrian and non-Syrian protection seekers.